The Katsina State Environmental Protection Agency, SEPA, has commenced recycling of used polythene bags to produce interlock bricks for house ground decorations.
The agency’s Officer in-charge of Research and Development, Rabiu Garba, disclosed this on Tuesday in Katsina.
He said the initiative would assist to reduce circulation of used polythene bags in the environment, which affected soil fertility because of its non-degradability
Mr Garba said the programme would also assist to prevent children from street begging by engaging them in picking used polythene bags for sell to SEPA.
He added that the agency buys a kilogrammes of used polythene bag at about N25, depending on quality.
According to him, the agency buys about 500 kilogrammes daily, even though it has machine that can process more than that.
“With the commencement of the pilot recycling of polythene bag, littering the environment with used bags in Katsina metropolis has drastically reduced and that is one of the aims of the programme,” he said.
The officer said SEPA would establish centres in Daura, Malumfashi, Dutsin-ma, Kankia and Funtua, claiming that the interlock produced from polythene bags is of more quality than the one produced from cement.
Mr Garba noted that the programme would assist the state government to generate more revenue.
